After spending much of the 15th on the Apache Trail, I was happy to relax with an adult beverage before going to my chosen spot for sunset. It was one of the more colorful sunsets of my time in AJ, thanks to some well-placed clouds.
As usual, I stayed in over the week-end, watching golf and basketball on TV (and YouTube), going out only for sunsets. Those were not memorable events since no clouds were present in the west. However, to the north, a nice anvil shaped cloud made an interesting subject as it was lit up by the late sun. Also, the solid cloud cover in the east, over the Superstitions, made for a soft pastel sky.
By Monday morning, I was ready to hit the road again and drove through the Lower Salt region to visit the Four Peaks Wilderness Area. This also gave me the opportunity to stop at some of the recreation sites I had not previously seen, such as the Butcher Jones site. Notice how full this cove in Canyon Lake is. Water is well beyond the normal bank and covers a large grassy area.
I was a little disappointed in the Four Peaks area. The long road through the mountains proved to be rather boring, with little variety and almost no wildflowers.
Returning to the Lower Salt area, I noticed a band of horses grazing about fifteen miles from where the main herd had been a few days before. While watching the horses, some movement caught my eye as a coyote circled the horses warily about 200 yards from me.
The golden poppies were plentiful in certain areas, attracting quite a few people to come out and photograph them.
An eagle's nest was just too far away for good photos, probably a quarter-mile from my location.
More varieties of wildflowers were popping up every day.
At the Phon D. Sutton picnic area, school kids on a field trip had planted milkweed to attract butterflies and made borders of rocks they had painted in art class. The lady ranger who led the field trip now brings water for the plants every few days. When she realized she was on camera, she gave a big smile.
The Red Mountain made a nice reflection at the Granite Reef recreation site.
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